S16: Beyond genomics: Approaches to unveil the metabolome of predatory bacteria

For decades, predatory behaviour was thought to be restricted to eukaryotic organisms, and bacteria were only granted a role as a nutrient resource for larger sized hunters, such as amoeba and nematodes. Today we know that predatory bacteria are widespread in nature and that they can be retrieved from a multitude of soil and aquatic habitats. Albeit small in numbers, bacterial micropredators exert a profound influence on the structure and shape of microbial communities. Their ecological significance notwithstanding, we know surprisingly little about these organisms. One major incentive to explore the secondary metabolomes of predatory bacteria comes from recent genome sequencing projects, which have shown that their chromosomes are particularly rich in genes encoding the biosynthesis of natural products. Still, we can only speculate about a functional role for many of the encoded compounds, though it is reasonable to assume that at least some of them are involved in the predatory lifestyle of these organisms. Homology-driven computational analyses enabled a prediction of the chemistry that can be expected from this extraordinary bacterial group. The results of these studies will be presented. In addition, different strategies for the exploitation of the idle metabolic potential will be discussed on the basis of select examples.